MLA Style A Citation Guide

Transcription

1 MLA Style A Citation Guide MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, Print. Ref Desk G35m 2009 Format of the Research Paper Margins should be one inch at the top and bottom and on both sides of the text. The first word of a paragraph is indented one-half inch (5 spaces) from the left margin. Double-space all text, including quotations, notes, and the works cited (MLA 116). There is no need for a title page. Your name, your instructor s name, the course number and date (each on separate lines) belong one inch from the top of the first page, flush with the left margin and double-spaced. Double-space again and center the title. DO NOT UNDERLINE YOUR TITLE OR PUT IT IN QUOTATION MARKS OR BOLDFACE OR TYPE IT IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Underline only the words you would usually underline in the text. No period after the title or after any heading in the paper (MLA ). All pages (including the first) are numbered consecutively throughout the paper. The number is placed in the upper, right-hand corner. Type your last name before the page number. Do not use the abbreviation p. for page or add a period, a hyphen, or any other symbol (MLA ). See example below of the first page of a research paper: Nelson 1 Barbara Nelson Professor Little Music May 2004 Ellington s Adventures in Music and Geography In studying the influence of Latin American, African, and Asian music on modern 1

2 In-Text Citations (MLA ) Citing a source in the text enables the reader to identify the source of information through the alphabetically arranged Works Cited page at the end of your paper. Within the text of the paper, the last name of the author and the page number where the quote or paraphrased information can be found are inserted in the text at the appropriate point. This brief citation should match a full citation on the Works Cited page. A quotation of more than four typed lines should be started on a new line. All lines of the quote should be indented. The type is double space. There are no quotation marks and a colon introduces the quote. If there is a paragraph break in the quote, indent the paragraph in your paper. The page number or pages referenced should follow the quote (MLA 94). Example of in-text citation: He stated, "The `placebo effect,'... disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner" (Smith 276), but he did not clarify which behaviors were studied. One Work by a Single Author (MLA ) In a recent study of reaction times (Smith 198)... or, Smith, in a study of reaction times (198)... No Author (MLA ) Include the first word of the title in quotation marks for an article or in italics for a book In a recent study of reaction time ( Study 198) -- this is an article. In a recent study of reaction time (Report 198) -- this is a book. No page numbers (MLA ) When a source has no page numbers or any other kind of reference numbers, no number can be given in the parenthetical reference. The work must be cited in its entirety. In citing an entire source (print source, non-print source such as film, TV program, electronic publication) that has no pagination or other reference markers, it is preferable to include in the text the name of the person that begins the corresponding entry in the works-cited list. Book: Fukuyama s Our Posthuman Future includes many examples of this trend. Articles in Periodicals: But Katie Thompson has offered another view. 2

3 Works Cited This page should continue the page numbering of the text and there should be a double space from the title of the section to the first entry. The words Works Cited should be centered one inch down from the top of the page (MLA ). Each entry should be flush with the left margin; double space and indent any entries that are more than two lines. Note the medium of the source (e.g. print, web, etc.) (MLA 128). Book - Single Author (MLA ) Bernstein, Tom. The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage. New York: Atheneum, Print. Book Two or More Authors (MLA ) Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale University Press: Print. Edited Book (MLA ) Letheridge, Sharon, ed. Bilingual Education: Teaching English as a Second Language. New York: Praeger, Print. Encyclopedia or Dictionary (MLA ) Kerman, Joseph. Beethoven, Ludwig Van. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 6th ed Print. Book, no author or editor (MLA 162) College Bound Seniors. Princeton, NJ: College Board Publications, Print. Journal Article - One Author (MLA 137) Cernuschi, C., and A. Herczynski. "The Subversion of Gravity in Jackson Pollock's Abstractions. " The Art Bulletin 90.4 (2008): Print. Newspaper (MLA ) Schwartz, Jane. Obesity Affects Economic and Social Status. Washington Post 10 Sept. 1993: A1+. Print. Television (MLA ) Tobacco Industry. Sixty Minutes. Narr. Morley Safer. CBS. New York. 20 Dec Television. 3

4 A Film or Video Recording (MLA ) It s a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Thomas Mitchell. RKO, Film. Sound Recording (MLA ) Chopin, Fryderyk. Piano Sonatas. Perf. Idil Biret. Grand Prix du Disque Chopin, CD. Painting, sculpture, or photograph (MLA ) Cassat, Mary. Mother and Child. Wichita Art Museum. American Painting: By John Pearce. New York: McGraw, Slide 22. Legal Source (MLA ) Brown v. Board of Educ. 347 US Supreme Court of the US LexisNexis. Web. 12 Sept Electronic Resources (MLA ) A citation for an electronic source should include the following information whenever possible. Author s name Title of document Information about publication (website, journal, book) Information about electronic format (database, website) Access information (date and location) URL (if required by instructor, or if needed to find source) Online book (MLA ) Taylor, George. The French Revolution and the London Stage, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, NetLibrary. Web. 15 May Journal or Magazine in an Online Database (MLA ) Ogborn, Miles. "Designs on the City: John Gwynn's Plans for Georgian London." Journal of British Studies 43.1 (2004): Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Mar

5 Web-only Work - Entire (MLA ) History Channel.com. History Channel. Web. 14 May Document or Page on Website (MLA ) City Profile: San Francisco. CNN.com. Cable News Network, 14 May Web. 15 Aug Online Encyclopedia (MLA 186) "Traffic control." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica Web. 8 August Online Journal or Magazine (MLA ) Brainard, Jeffrey. "Clinton Seeks to Lift Spending Caps to Increase Financing for University- Based Research." Chronicle of Higher Education 8 Feb Web. 10 Feb Citing Indirect Sources (MLA 226) In the Works Cited list, cite the secondary source only (the book or article you are reading). In the text, name the original work and give a citation for the secondary source, including the abbreviation qtd. for quoted. (qtd. in Boswell 2: 450) In your Works Cited, the full citation would be for Boswell, the secondary source, not for the original source. Personal Communication (MLA , ) Give the name of the person interviewed, or the author of a letter or . State the type of communication and give the date it was conducted or written. Rowling, J.K. Personal Interview. 12 May Morrison, Toni. Message to the author. 17 May Updated 2 Sep. 2009